Almond Joy Magic Cookie Bars from www.eatcakefordinner.net/

Cookie Crust:
1/2 c. unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 c. light brown sugar, packed
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. chocolate graham cracker crumbs (not quite 9 full-sheet crackers)
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Layers:
3/4 c. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 3/4 c. shredded sweetened coconut
1/2 c. sliced almonds
about 12 oz. sweetened condensed milk (not quite one can)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a slight overhang for easy removal and spray with cooking spray; set aside.  For the Crust: In a large bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar, using a hand mixer, until smooth and creamy.  Add the vanilla and egg and mix until combined.  Add the flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt and mix until fully combined.  Stir in the chocolate chips.  Press graham cracker dough evenly into the bottom of your prepared baking pan.  Bake for 5 minutes.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with the mini chocolate chips (reserving a small amount), coconut and sliced almonds.  Drizzle the sweetened condensed milk over the top and sprinkle with reserved mini chocolate chips.  Remember the pan is hot and return to the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until set (I baked mine for about 26 minutes).  Loosely tent the pan with aluminum foil halfway through baking time to prevent the coconut and almonds from browning and rotate the pan in the oven.

Allow to cool at room temperature for 30 minutes and then stick in the refrigerator to cool all the way through (the bottom of the pan will be cold).   Cut into 9-12 squares.  DO NOT cut the bars while they are still warm or the gooey filling will run all over the place.

Jenn’s Notes: I cut mine into 9 bars, but since they are pretty rich, I think 12 bars would be perfect.

apple crisp from Anna Thomas

  • download2 pounds tart green apples, peeled and sliced
  • thinly(about 5 to 51/2 cups sliced)
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup butter

Peel the apples and slice them thinly. Put them in a rather shallow 1-quart casserole and sprinkle them with the water. Put them aside while you prepare the crust.

Sift together the dry ingredients and cut in the butter until all is well combined. Sprinkle this mixture thickly and evenly over the apples. Don’t mix the two together.

Cover the casserole and bake at 350 degrees for 1/2 hour, then uncover and bake another 1/2 hour. The crust will be crisp on top, and will have partly seeped down through the apples,
flavoring them and binding them slightly together.

Serve hot or cold.

pasty from http://12tomatoes.com/

meat-1200x627Pastry:

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra as needed
  • 2/3 cup ice water, plus extra as needed
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold, unsalted butter, cubed
  • 1/2 cup shortening
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten

Filling:

  • 8 oz. ground faux meat
  • 1 russet potato, peeled and diced
  • 1 small turnip, peeled and diced
  • 1 large carrot finely diced
  • 1/2 white onion, chopped
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
  • kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • brown mustard, garnish

Directions

  1. In a bowl or directly in your food processor, mix flour and salt together before adding in cold, cubed butter.
  2. Pulse for 10-15 seconds, or until mixture is crumbly and butter is the size of small pebbles.
  3. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in 2/3 cup ice water and pulse until dough ball begins to form. Note: if mixture is too dry, add more ice water, 1-2 teaspoons at a time.
  4. Once dough is formed, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and roll it into a large, flat rectangle.
  5. Wrap dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate 30-45 minutes, or until chilled.
  6. While dough chills, combine beef with potato, turnip, carrot and onion, and season generously with salt and pepper, thyme and rosemary.
  7. Preheat oven to 400º F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  8. Remove dough from refrigerator and cut it into 6 equal pieces. On a floured surface, roll each piece out to an 8-inch circle.
  9. Spoon 1/2-2/3 cup beef mixture into the center of dough, then top with 1/2 tablespoon butter.
  10. Take the far edge of your dough circle and fold it over the beef, towards yourself, to form a half moon.
  11. Seal edges with a fork and repeat with remaining pasties.
  12. Transfer to lined baking sheet and brush the tops of dough with beaten egg.
  13. Bake for 20 minutes, or until lightly browned, then lower oven temperature to 350º F and bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.
  14. Serve hot with brown mustard and enjoy!

Magic Cake from jocooks.com

  • 4 eggs (separate yolks from whites) at room temperature
  • magic-cake-1-11 tsp vanilla extract
  • 150 g (3/4 cup) sugar
  • 125 g (1 stick or ½ cup) unsalted butter, melted
  • 115 g (4 oz or ¾ cup) of all purpose flour
  • 500 ml (2 cups) milk lukewarm *
  • powdered sugar for dusting cake
  1. Preheat oven to 325 F degrees. Grease a 8 inch x 8 inch baking dish or line it with parchment paper so that it’s easier to get the cake out.
  2. Separate the eggs and beat the egg yolks with the sugar until light and fluffy. Add butter and vanilla extract and continue beating for another minute or two after which you can add the flour and mix it in until fully incorporated.
  3. Slowly start adding the milk and beat until everything is well mixed together.
  4. Add the egg whites to a mixer and mix until stiff peaks form.
  5. Add the egg whites to the cake batter and gently fold them in. Another variation to folding in the egg whites would be to whisk them in to the cake batter, this is a lot faster and easier. Make sure you don’t fold the egg whites in completely, you still want to see some of the white bits floating at the top.
  6. Pour batter into baking dish and bake for 40 to 70 minutes or until the top is lightly golden. The baking time could vary greatly depending on the oven, so take a peek at around 40 minutes and see how it looks.
  7. Sprinkle some powdered sugar after cake has cooled.
* To get the milk lukewarm I usually warm it in the microwave for about a minute.

The baking time can vary greatly for this cake. I’ve baked this cake in 3 different ovens and I’ve always needed different times which were from 40 to 70 minutes. The oven I have right now only requires about 45 minutes to get a nice golden color on the cake, whereas other ovens I’ve used required the full 70 minutes. Test if after 40 minutes to see what it looks like. The cake is done when it only jiggles slightly but feels firm to touch.

 

Diana Henry’s Lemon & Lavender Cake

  • Unsalted butter, for the cake pan
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar809a9372-ad53-45c8-8fbf-e7423c960594-2016-0910_lemon-lavender-cake_james-ransom-132
  • 3/4 tablespoon edible dried lavender
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4t easpoon salt
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1cup Greek yogurt
  • 1/2 cup mild-flavored olive oil
  • Finely grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon, plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • Confectioners’ sugar, to dust
  • Preheat the oven to 350° F. Butter an 8-inch diameter, 2 1/2-inch deep cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
  • Put the granulated sugar and lavender into a food processor and whizz until the lavender has broken down. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together into a bowl. Stir in the lavender sugar. In a pitcher, mix the eggs with the yogurt and oil. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and gradually stir in the wet ingredients. Add the lemon zest and juice, but don’t over-mix. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan.
  • Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the cake is coming away from the inside of the pan and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Turn it out, peel off the paper, and set on a wire rack until cold. Dust with confectioners’ sugar just before serving and decorate with sprigs of fresh lavender.

 

Ann Marotto’s Fresh Tomato Pie

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  • FOR THE PASTRY
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese
  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • FOR THE FILLING
  • About 2 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard
  • 2 to 3 large beefsteak tomatoes, sliced thick and evenly
  • 1 cup grated low-fat Swiss cheese
  • About 8 basil leaves, stacked, rolled and cut crosswise into very thin slices (julienne; about 2 tablespoons)
  • 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • Kosher or coarse sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese
  • 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Have ready an ungreased 9-inch pie plate or fluted quiche

For the pastry: Combine the ingredients in a large bowl and, using your fingers or a pastry blender, cut the mixture until it comes together as a smooth dough, with the butter well incorporated. Form the dough into a ball, flatten it slightly, wrap in wax paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 24 hours. note: play around with this maybe use food processor for butter and flour and then add cottage cheese and pulse, don’t think mine dough was incorporated enough.

On a lightly floured surface or between two pieces of wax paper, roll out the dough slightly larger than the pie plate or quiche pan and press the dough into the plate or pan. Prick the bottom with the tines of a fork, cover loosely and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Line the pie shell with aluminum foil and pour ceramic pie weights or dried beans evenly on the foil. Bake for 8 minutes, then carefully remove the weights or beans and the foil, and bake for 2 minutes. (At this point, the crust will not be fully baked.) Cool.

For the filling: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Brush the bottom of the cooled pie shell with a thin, see-through coating of the mustard. Layer the tomato slices, Swiss cheese, basil and parsley, seasoning each layer lightly with salt and pepper to taste. Scatter the mozzarella and Parmesan evenly over the top; bake for 30 to 40 minutes.

Serve warm.

 

Original Plum Torte NY times

  • ¾ to 14torte-web-master768-v21 cup sugar
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup unbleached flour, sifted
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • Pinch of salt (optional)
  • 2 eggs
  • 24 halves pitted purple plums
  • Sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon, for topping
  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Cream the sugar and butter in a bowl. Add the flour, baking powder, salt and eggs and beat well.
  3. Spoon the batter into a springform pan of 8, 9 or 10 inches. Place the plum halves skin side up on top of the batter. Sprinkle lightly with sugar and lemon juice, depending on the sweetness of the fruit. Sprinkle with about 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, depending on how much you like cinnamon.
  4. Bake 1 hour, approximately. Remove and cool; refrigerate or freeze if desired. Or cool to lukewarm and serve plain or with whipped cream. (To serve a torte that was frozen, defrost and reheat it briefly at 300 degrees.)

 

Mrs. Behr’s Buttercake

download2 cups AP flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 lb. soft butter
1 Tbsp. pure almond extract
1 egg, save a little egg white to brush on top of cake
1 small pkg.  whole almonds

Combine ingredients in bowl.  Mis well with hands.  Don’t squash mix.  Use a round flat cake tin.  Flatten mixture with palm of hand.  

Decorate with whole almonds on top…Original cake recipe calls for them simply placed around the edge then brush egg white on top of cake.

Don’t preheat oven!!!!

Put cake into 375 oven for 1/2 hour

Cool on wire rack

Cut into small slivers for serving

Enjoy!

Ricotta and Blueberry Cake Recipe By: EatGood4Life.com

IMG_0067download1 1/2 c flour
1 teaspoon aluminum free baking powder 1/2 teaspoon aluminum free baking soda 1/2 cup unrefined sugar + 2 tablespoons, you can use 3/4 cup if you like
1 cup ricotta cheese
2 organic eggs
1/4 cup low fat milk
Juice of two limes

1 to 1 1/2 cup fresh blueberries

1. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Grease and flour a springform pan and set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl, with a wire whisk, mix eggs, sugar, milk, lime juice and cheese. Add flour, baking soda and baking power.

3. Dust blueberries with 1 tablespoon of flour to prevent berries to sink to the bottom of the cake. Pour batter into prepared pan and sprinkle berries over batter.

4. Bake for 55-60 minutes. Cool in pan on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before removing from the baking pan to cool completely on a wire rack.  Serving Size: 8

Tomato and goat cheese cobbler

  • For the biscuit topping
  • 3/4 ccherry-tomato-goat-cheese-cobblerup plus 3 tablespoons (120 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 3 1/2 tablespoons cornmeal
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon (130 grams) cold unsalted butter, cubed
  • 3 1/2 tablespoons cold buttermilk
  • For the tomato filling
  • 2 pounds (1 kilogram) red and yellow cherry tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • Leaves from 8 to 10 thyme sprigs
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • Healthy pinch freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
  • 1 large egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
  • 6 ounces (170 grams) soft goat cheese, crumbled
  • Make the biscuit topping
  • 1. Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Dump in the butter cubes. Using a pastry blender, work the butter until you have pea- to lima bean-size pieces. (If you have particularly cold hands, you can use your fingertips.) Drizzle in the buttermilk and toss the mixture with a fork until it’s evenly moistened.
  • 2. Plop the dough on a clean work surface. Press and squeeze the dough until it begins to hold together. (If you tossed it well with the fork, this should be a cinch. If you see dry spots, it’s best to use the fork to mix the dough instead of your hands. Whatever you do, don’t overwork the dough.) When all is said and done, you should still see pea-size bits of butter running through the dough.
  • 3. Shape the dough into a disc about 3/4 inch (2 centimeters) thick. Using a 1 1/2 inch (4 centimeter) biscuit cutter, cut out 9 biscuits. Gently gather the dough scraps together, press them into a slab again, and cut out more biscuits. (I was able to get 15 biscuits.) Transfer the biscuits to a baking sheet and slide them in the freezer for 1 to 2 hours. (You can stash the biscuits in a resealable plastic bag and freeze them for up to 3 months to simplify throwing the cobbler together at the last minute easy. You’ll want to allow them a little extra time to thaw a little after taking them out of the freezer and before baking them.)
  • Make the tomato filling
  • 4. Crank your oven to 350°F (180°C).
  • 5. Toss the cherry tomatoes, olive oil, half the thyme, salt, and pepper in an ovenproof skillet. (I used a 12-inch cast-iron skillet and it worked marvelously.) Cover the skillet and cook on the stovetop over medium-high heat until the tomatoes begin to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Uncover the skillet and continue cooking until all the tomatoes have burst slightly and released their juices.
  • 6. Remove the biscuits from the freezer and generously brush the tops with the egg wash. Place them on top of the tomato mixture in the skillet, spacing them 1 inch (2 1/2 centimeters) apart.
  • 7. Bake the cobbler for 25 minutes. Remove the skillet from the oven and dot the goat cheese between the biscuits, covering any exposed tomato mixture. Return the whole shebang to the oven, bump up the heat to 450°F (232°C) and continue baking until the top is nicely browned, about 10 minutes more. Scatter the remaining thyme over the top and serve the cobbler warm or at room temperature, scooping the cobbler straight from the skillet at the table. If you’re like me, you’ll want to gild each serving with an extra crank or so freshly ground black pepper. The cobbler is best eaten the day it’s made. (Like it could ever make it to another day.)

Read more at http://leitesculinaria.com/96970/writings-tomato-and-goat-cheese-cobbler.html#TqXS2TLgIZrD1W6G.99